Sodium bicarbonate, a bicarbonate salt, is a common household ingredient used in cooking, cleaning, and deodorizing. Sodium bicarbonate alone or in combination with other ingredients, has been recognized and used as a dentifrice since at least the turn of the century and is considered an acceptable and effective alternative dentifrice to the commercially prepared dentifrices. Dentifrice has been a very important tool of preventive dentistry. It is believed that the use of dentifrice in conjunction with a toothbrush has probably accomplished more in the prevention of oral disease than any other oral health procedure. Virtually all oral diseases of bacterial origin could be eliminated by the meticulous application of the self-administrative oral hygiene techniques now available, such as, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, irrigation devices, and the like. Unfortunately, the average person does not use and has not used these tools effectively. One aim of preventive dentistry has therefore been to improve the efficacy of self-administered oral hygiene procedures to obtain maximum benefit with minimum effort. Various forms of dentifrices have been thought to provide one of the most productive vehicles in the achievement of this aim.
In order to maintain healthy teeth and gums, an individual must constantly battle against tooth pellicle, dental plaque, dental calculus, and food debris. The judicious use of dentifrice in conjunction with the toothbrush is currently used to control these accumulations.
Tooth pellicle is a thin proteinaceous film which forms on the teeth and is not visible to the naked eye. It forms within hours following removal by dental prophylaxis. It is believed that pellicle is formed by the adsorption by teeth enamel of proteins present in saliva. All other oral accumulations form over the pellicle. Dental pellicle and accumulations thereon are considered to be a factor for tooth stains.
Dental plaque is an accumulation that forms over tooth pellicle. After the deposition of the pellicle, micro-organisms attach to the pellicle. This is favored by the secretion of bacterial extra-cellular material. After formation, the plaque attacks and provides a suitable site for the accumulation of other substances. The acid generated by the plaque bacteria demineralizes the dental enamel resulting in carious lesions. The bacteria in the plaque are not only the leading cause of caries, they are also the leading cause of periodontal disease, that is, destruction of the gum tissue supporting the teeth. Periodontal disease is a major concern to dental hygiene since it is the major cause of tooth loss, especially in older patients.
When dental plaque mineralizes the accumulates on the tooth surface, it forms dental calculus. Calculus, once formed, is virtually impossible to remove with the toothbrush and available dentifrices. One objective of a dental hygienist is to attempt to remove formed calculus.
Food debris is an important oral accretion which can support the build-up of plaque. The food debris provides nutrients for the plaque bacteria which account for generally all dental problems. The toothbrush, a dentifrice, and floss are ideal for the removal of food debris.
Modern dentifrice comprises a mild abrasive for the removal of stains, a surface active agent or detergent to aid in the cleaning of the teeth and destruction of the plaque bacteria, an anti-caries agent, water, and, optionally, flavoring agents, sweetening agents, viscosity modifiers, desensitizers, and the like. It is still not clear whether an abrasive is needed to remove plaque and pellicle. However, it is recognized that an abrasive is required to remove stain accumulations from teeth. Up until the 1060's, the most common abrasives used in dentifrices were dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, calcium carbonate, and insoluble sodium metaphosphate. However, these abrasives since the 1960's have been gradually replaced by aluminum oxide trihydrate and forms of hydrated silica. Over half the dentifrices presently used employ hydrated silica abrasives because of their superior flavor release properties and excellent compatibility with fluoride salts. Most of the silica used is of the amorphous form since the crystalline silica structure is considered too hard to use safely with gum tissue. In addition, amorphous silicas tend to break down and shear under pressure because of their porosity and friability and, thus, are not excessively abrasive to teeth enamel or dentine. The dentifrices compounded with conventional abrasives contain about 40 to 50 percent by weight of abrasive. Dentifrices compounded with amorphous silica abrasives have a much lower abrasive loading (from about 10 to about 20 percent by weight).
The fluoride dentifrices, the anti-caries dentifrices, are normally compounded with sodium fluoride, sodium monofluorophosphate or stannous fluoride as a fluoride source. The concentration of fluoride salt is normally about 100 ppm. The function of fluoride in combating tooth decay is not fully understood nor is the mode of action fully understood. Some dental experts contend that the fluoride ion in the dentifrice interacts with tooth enamel to form a fluorophosphate structure, such as fluoratatite, which is more resistant to attack by the acids generated by dental plaque bacteria. Other experts contend that the dental enamel attached by an acid can be remineralized and that the fluoride enhances the rate of that remineralization and makes the resulting crystalline structure more resistant to further attack by acid. A third hypothesis is that the fluoride ion inhibits metabolic processes in plaque bacteria reducing their ability to produce acid. Possibly the role of fluoride in combating tooth decay combines all three of these actions.
Almost all dentifrices contain a surfactant primarily to enhance foaming action of the dentifrice. Almost all dentifrices either employ sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium dodecyl benzene sulfate as dentifrice surfactants.
In most dentifrices, the flavoring agent has no hygienic purpose. The flavoring is added to the dentifrice to make it more acceptable to the consuming public, to mask the flat taste of the other ingredients and to freshen the breath. The most common flavoring agents are mint, anise-type flavors, and cinnamon. Peppermint flavoring is slowly being phased out.
A variety of thickening agents are used in dentifrices to give the dentifrice proper body or structure. Silicas have been used extensively, especially in clear gel dentifrices, to give structure. In the opaque dentifrices, a number of organic gums are used, such as, xantham gum, carbosymethyl cellulose, acrylic acid polymers, polyacrylic acid resins, and the like. A number of dentifrices also contain desensitizing agents for patients with hypersensitive teeth. The most common desensitizers are strontium chloride and potassium nitrate. It is noteworthy that sodium citrate is also recognized as a desensitizing agent.
For ideal oral hygiene, the teeth would be brushed with a dentifrice, flossed, and irrigated following each meal and snack. Unfortunately, the time restraints in the lives of most people and the lack of convenient facilities do not allow this luxury. This is unfortunate, especially since the average life span of a typical person has increased substantially over the last 50 years. Children and young adults are the most susceptible to caries. Adults rarely get caries because of the chemical and physiological change of their saliva. However, adults are more prone to periodontal disease which is the leading cause of tooth loss. Adults are more susceptible to periodontal disease with increasing age. Plaque build-up is recognized as the principal contributor to such disease. Thus, it is very desirable to develop means for removing plaque from the teeth promptly after its formation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a dry oral wash composition that can be inserted into the oral cavity following a meal or snack to rinse or wash the mouth free of organic debris and inhibit the formation of plaque.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an oral non-aqueous dentifrice composition that can be taken to clean the oral cavity of organic debris and remove plaque from the teeth.
An additional object is to provide a composition that will neutralize the acids in the oral cavity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an anti-plaque composition that will inhibit the build-up of plaque on the teeth and inhibit the population growth of plaque bacteria in the oral cavity.
Others in the field of oral hygiene have attempted to make such compositions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,297,494 is directed to an effervescent, solid dentifrice comprising an acid salt and a bicarbonate salt which are mutually reactive in the presence of moisture to produce CO.sub.2 and an initially weak acid solution to contact the surface of the teeth. The solution acted primarily to dislodge plaque adhesions from enamel surface and the CO.sub.2 and the irrigation of the acid solution away from the enamel surface. The period of acid activity is limited as to preclude enamel decalcification and aids in the reactivation of the alkaline addition of the saliva in the mouth. The composition can be optionally compounded with abrasives such as calcium carbonate (chalk), surface active agent such as the soap of sodium oleate, a sweetening agent such as saccharine and flavoring agents such as oil of peppermint. The dentifrice could be employed as a dry powder or a paste compounded with thickening agent such as glycerine or gum arabic free of water. The dentifrice is to be used in conjunction with a toothbrush.